A
fter a long day in the
shop, I like to head out to
the backyard, sit back in
a chair, and have a cold
drink. It’s a relaxing few
hours for me. But the wood
chair beneath me is under constant
stress. It’s out in the weather all day,
every day. And every minute, the
elements are working to tear it down.
Outdoor furniture won’t last forever, but
you can greatly extend its life by using
the right wood (and the right joinery).
What makes a wood right for the
outdoors is its ability to resist decay.
I’ve been making outdoor furniture
for decades, and I’ve used a wide
variety of woods to do it. Teak is far
and away the best. It resists decay,
is very stable, and naturally fades to
a beautiful silver-gray. But it also is
very expensive, so I don’t use it. In
fact, I don’t use any exotics. There
are plenty of domestic species that do
great outside. The five that top my list
are white oak, black locust, eastern
red cedar, northern white cedar, and
bald cypress. You should find at least
one of these where you live (and you
can get the others online).
Regardless of which wood you use,
one bit of advice applies to them all.
Use only the heartwood for outdoor
furniture (and anything else you make
for the outdoors). Sapwood is too
rich in sugars and other tasty treats
to survive very long in the wet, wild,
and often warm wilderness out the
back door. Fungi, the critters most
responsible for decay, tear through
sapwood but have a much harder
time with heartwood. Wind, rain,
and sun also cause decay, but you
can mitigate their impact with smart
design, like making sure surfaces that
face up are sloped to shed water and
that exposed end grain has plenty of
room to breathe and dry.
Also, applying a finish is a Sisyphean
task, and it only delays the inevitable.
So, skip the finish, let the wood
weather to its natural gray, and relax.Hank Gilpin is a professional furniture maker
in Rhode Island.Outdoor design, perfected. With surfaces
designed to shed water, simple but strong joints,
and stainless-steel screws, Gilpin’s white-oak chair
is sure to stand up to the elements.White oak is widely available, much less expensive than teak and other exotics, and
withstands the elements for years. The one knock against white oak is that it can be
tough to work. Also, be aware that different parts of the growth rings weather differently.
The early wood (the part of the growth ring that grows first) is more porous and softer
than the late wood, so the surface becomes uneven. To minimize that effect, look for
lumber with tight annual rings.Latin name:
Quercus alba
Average price
per bd. ft.: $4–$
(more for quartersawn)
Specific gravity: 0.68*
Percent shrinkage:
Tangential: 10.
Radial: 5.
T/R ratio:
1.Heartwood is the answer
to outdoor wood longevitySapwood, the outer rings of the tree where cells are
still alive, is a tasty treat. This fence post illustrates
why you shouldn’t use sapwood in outdoor furniture.
After just a few years of contact with soil, it has
been eaten away. But the heartwood, the durable
inner rings where the cells are no longer alive,
remains as strong as ever. It’s the same story for
furniture. Sapwood will rot quickly, leaving you with
a weakened or unusable piece of furniture.Percent shrinkage:
Tangential: 10.
Radial: 5.
T/R ratio:
1.White oak
A wood’s specific gravity speaks to how
hard, dense, and heavy it is. The higher
a wood’s specific gravity, the tougher
and stronger it is, basically.
The percent shrinkage indicates
stability. There are three numbers
to consider: tangential and radial
shrinkage and the ratio of the two. As
the ratio gets higher, wood is more
prone to warping.*BEHIND THE NUMBERSPhotos, except where noted: staff OUTDOOR FURNITURE 11
FWSIP27OF-FU.indd 11 2/4/13 11:48 AM